We'll start with a warning that some readers might find the subject matter of this story distressing, but it needs to be told because it demonstrates what a joke our healthcare and justice systems are.
That being said, this writer is a nurse and has worked in hospice, and this story horrified her on a personal and professional level:
Hospice nurse who cut off patient’s foot without permission for use in sickening taxidermy shop display escapes jail sentence https://t.co/yIC6E9xKYS pic.twitter.com/N0f1Ori23x
— New York Post (@nypost) July 13, 2025
Seriously.
WTF.
Mary K. Brown, 40, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of negligently abusing a 62-year-old patient at Spring Valley Senior Living and Healthcare Campus in 2022 for the rogue surgical procedure.
The patient died days later, though no definitive link was made between his death and the amputation, according to a criminal complaint.
She was initially charged with intentionally causing great bodily harm and mayhem and physically abusing an elder person, but the felonies, which could have each carried a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, were dismissed after pleading guilty to lesser charges.
Brown still faces disciplinary action from the Wisconsin Nursing Board. And, frankly, she should never be allowed to take care of anyone ever again.
Nurses are not allowed to perform surgical procedures as part of their scope of practice. This was an abuse of a patient, and that the state of Wisconsin let her plead to misdemeanors is an insult to the victim, Doug McFarland, and his family.
That’s a headline you don’t read every day. 😳
— Red Dot in a Blue Dot in a Red State (@reddotaustintx) July 14, 2025
Thank goodness.
Imagine how the patient's family must feel about this unbelievable outcome
— Mercurius (@MercuriusFilius) July 13, 2025
McFarland's sister described it as a 'slap in the face.'
This was in Wisconsin? How could they let her get away with this?
— Monica P 🚀🛸🪐💜🤍💛✗ (@monipridragon12) July 13, 2025
We have a very liberal judiciary.
Our justice system is a joke. We under sentence people daily.
— Austin Rogers (@MrAustinRogers) July 13, 2025
No wonder people act like animals.
Behavior that is rewarded (or not adequately punished) is repeated.
Who the f**k was the DA who offered this to her? “She was initially charged with intentionally causing great bodily harm and mayhem and physically abusing an elder person, but the felonies, which could have each carried a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, were dismissed… https://t.co/JMAiHQJQhH
— Dani Ahn Direct (@DaniAhnDirect) July 13, 2025
Jon D. Seifert is the DA of Pepin County, where Brown resides.
The patient died later and Wisconsin officials allowed her to plead down from felony charges with a 40 year prison term to instead paying a fine and avoiding jail. https://t.co/ymtizitmVT
— Sunny (@sunnyright) July 13, 2025
It's absolutely maddening.
Hear me out, justice system: sometimes the crime is so disturbing and cruel that you need to throw the book at the perp as a deterrent. https://t.co/WnYogEwU9p
— Danny (@RisenPhoenixD) July 13, 2025
Yep.
What. The. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuu https://t.co/yLG1zLR7pT
— Melissa Moore (@melissamoore) July 14, 2025
Yeah. What else can you say?
https://t.co/wZdtjNdbUP pic.twitter.com/fjgiZvZLOU
— Flappr (@flapprdotnet) July 13, 2025
This is the facial expression of everyone who has read that story.
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